


Willow

by Trinis



Category: Original Work
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:35:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29158248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trinis/pseuds/Trinis
Summary: Hello.I am Trinis.If you like happy endings, then this story isn’t for you. I would suggest a happier story. But for those of you who wish to hear, this is the story of Willow. A story of one mistake. A mistake that changed everything. A mistake that began Willow’s life of sorrows and woes.___________________________________________________
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character, deer/wolf





	Willow

_Hello._

_I am Trinis._

_If you like happy endings, then this story isn’t for you. I would suggest a happier story. But for those of you who wish to hear, this is the story of Willow. A story of one mistake. A mistake that changed everything. A mistake that began Willow’s life of sorrows and woes._

~~~~~~~~

It was quiet. It was always quiet at night. But never deathly quiet. There was always some distant chatter. It was never completely dark, either. The candle lights of the Great Tree were eternal.

The Great Tree. That’s what everyone called her. Her name was actually Laurel, but she didn’t particularly care. She was a great oak tree, the largest out of any in the forest. The circumference of The Great Tree is large enough to house dozens of the Woodfolk. The Woodfolk were creatures of the forest. Bears, birds, raccoons, squirrels, hedgehogs, frogs, mice, rabbits, and so many others.

The Great Tree was about hundred meters tall, with a hollow base supported by mangrove-like roots. Within this base there are many columns, creating a large central area. In this central area the branches and limbs of the tree form a natural spiral staircase, which the Woodfolk use to move up and down the tree.

The ruler of the Great Tree, was King Aspen, and his husband, King Yael. King Aspen was the son of the former King Asher and Queen Lilith. He was a muscular buck, with huge strong antlers. His hooves were dark like coal, and his fur was such a dark brown it was almost black. His eyes were a piercing purple, the sign of royalty.

King Yael was much smaller than his husband. He wasn’t short, but his height wasn’t ideal. His fur was a mix of light brown and stark white. His coal black eyes stood out against his white face. His antlers were white and smaller than Aspen’s.

The Great Tree herself had given the two King’s her blessing to marry, which was rare. Even the Kings and Queens of old barley got her blessing.

King Yael’s oldest friend, Johanan, was a teacher at The Great Tree’s schools. He taught the older children who were about to go into adulthood.

Johanan and his wife, Janae, had three children. The youngest, was their son, Yohan. He was a small little buck, and his ears were rather big. Despite his young age, he was quite energetic. Their middle child, was Ashlyn Morgana. She was a bright young doe with a love for literature.

Their oldest, was Willow. She had a love for the arts, and she was smart. But her mind was always distracted. She felt like she had a larger purpose in this world. She didn’t know what that meant, but she was sure she would find out.

Willow slept in her bed, with the light of the sunrise streaming through the window. Her green eyes opened as she yawned and stretched. She got out of bed, yawning again as she staggered towards the dining hall.

The dining hall had barely anyone in it. It was just a few groups of Woodfolk talking amongst one another.

“BOO!”

Willow jumped as she whipped her head around. It was her little brother, Yohan. He was very young, and just had his naming ceremony last week.

In The Great Tree, your name was your most valuable possession. Everyone in the tree was born nameless. Willow remembered the days when everyone called her ‘sister’ or ‘daughter’. But when you were deemed worthy, you and others about to receive their name would be gathered. The king himself would grant you your name. It was a huge celebration. It was a right of passage.

Yohan was deemed worthy by his amazing speed and resilience. In fact, he was the youngest deer to ever receive his name in the history of The Great Tree.

Willow was deemed worthy when she showed her skills in art. Everyone got their name eventually, because everyone had skills like no other.

“Ha! I scared you, didn’t I?” Yohan asked as he grinned smugly.

Willow rolled her eyes. “No,” She sighed as she grabbed from fruits and nuts from the array of foods on the long tables in front of her.

Yohan began to follow her as she walked to an empty table. “Uh-Huh! Yes I did! You jumped like a doe!” He stuck his tongue out at her.

Willow huffed as she sat down. “I am a doe,” She mumbled.

Yohan seemed to ignore her remark as he sat down next to her. “Can you play with me later?”

Willow nodded. “If I have time, yes,”

Yohan groaned. “Do you have work today?”

Willow gently poked at Yohan’s nose with her small hoof. “Yes, everyone needs to play their part around The Great Tree,”

Yohan groaned as he threw his head back dramatically, his shaggy hair falling to the side. “But whyyyy?”

“Because we live here,” A different voice spoke up from behind them.

Willow’s younger sister, Ashlyn Morgana sat down in between the two, plopping her own breakfast down onto the table in front of her. She brushed her long brown wavy hair out of her face with her hooves.

“Any big plans today?” Ashlyn asked before she took a big bite of an apple.

Yohan sighed. “Nah, just school,”

“Yeah, same here,” Willow said. “And then it’s off to the Docks,”

Ashlyn laughed dryly. “That sucks,”

Willow rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but it makes money, so shut up,”

“Why do you have to work at the Docks, anyways? Do something cool, like a blacksmith,”

“Well, someone has to help the birds unload their shipment,” Willow answered plainly, before she took a bite of her grapes.

The Docks were huge wooden platforms on the top of the Great Tree. Huge birds of prey came in, shipping in goods from all over the world, which would then be sold at the Roots. The Roots is where everyone bought all of their goods, wether that be food, clothing, or toys for entertainment.

Suddenly, the gong sounded one time.

Goooooong!

That signaled the end of breakfast, and the official start of the day.

Willow swallowed the rest of her food as she stood up. “See you guys after work, alright?”

“See ya,” Ashlyn Morgana and Yohan both went off to the school for younger Woodfolk. Willow went off in the opposite direction, to the school for the older Woodfolk.

~~~~~~~~

School was relatively easy, since it was the last day of school before Winter Break. Everyone at school took one month off during the harshest time of winter to help their parents with anything they might need. And to celebrate the holidays, of course.

Because of this, Willow’s shift at The Docks was going to be harder than it usually was. More shipment came in than ever before. Eagles and hawks came flying in with huge wooden boxes hanging down from strong ropes from their feet.

Willow and her team unloaded the first box that dropped down. The products in there were what Willow would expect. Clothes, medicine, food, and fire starters.

As Willow’s team passed down products down the line, Willow talked with her best friend, Alexia. She was a light brown doe, with wavy brown hair that went down to her shoulders.

“I can’t wait for break,” Alexia said as Willow handed her a small box, which she then passed it down to an otter behind her.

“Ugh, me too,” Willow handed Alexia another box, which was then passed down.

“Too bad we cant step outside the Tree’s boarders,” Alexia sighed.

Willow almost fell over. “What?!”

Alexia’s eyes widened. “You didn’t hear? Wolves were seen close to the Tree yesterday,”

The wolves. The sworn enemies of The Great Tree. After their leader, Agnar, killed and ate King Aspen’s little sister years ago, they have been banished to the far sides of the forest. They were forbidden to even go near the Great Tree forever.

Willow knew that not all of the wolves were bad. But it was their leader that she was afraid of.

“But going out of the Tree is, like, my only highlight of the year,” Willow said as she passed Alexia another box.

Alexia raised an eyebrow. “Your only highlight?”

Willow rolled her eyes. “Of course, spending the Winter with my family is number one. But you know what I mean,”

“It’ll be fine, Willow,” Alexia reassured her. “I’m sure that this whole thing will blow over in a couple of days,”

Willow nodded. “I hope you’re right,”

~~~~~~~~

Alexia wasn’t right. The kings still banned anyone from leaving the Tree without their permission. That was two weeks ago.

Willow sat on the couch in her family’s living room, reading a book. In fact, everyone was reading a book. Well, except for her dad. He was in the middle of grading tests.

Willow sighed, breaking the silence. “I wish we could leave the tree,”

Willow’s mom, Janae, sighed. “We can’t, Willow,”

Willow huffed. “I know we can’t, I just wish we could. There’s about six inches of snow on the ground right now,”

“We could build a snow fort!” Yohan said excitedly.

Ashlyn Morgana sighed. “No one is going outside, Yohan. The wolves are nearby, remember? They eat deer,”

“Not all of them do,” Willow felt herself getting angry.

“I know not all of them do,” Ashlyn Morgana shot back. “But you never know which one does, and which one doesn’t,”

“Well, maybe we shouldn’t enforce negative stereotypes, Morgana,” Willow grit her teeth. “Just because their leader eats deer, doesn’t mean that they all do,”

“I never said that they all do! We just need to be careful!”

“You’ve never even seen a wolf your whole life!”

“Well, neither have you!”

“Then how do you know that they’re all bad?”

“I never said that they were!”

The sister’s sentences crossed over each other, and soon, no one could even heard what the other was saying.

“Enough!” Their Father boomed.

The room went deathly silent. Only the crackle of the fire in the fireplace was heard.

“This isn’t about bad or good. This is about following the kings orders! There may be more to this new rule than just getting caught by the wolves,”

Willow huffed as she sunk back down into the couch. The rest of her family went back to reading, as if nothing had ever happened.

~~~~~~~~

Willow lay in bed once again, looking through the window. There was nothing there to look at, except for the night sky. It was snowing lightly, and there wasn’t any wind tonight. The snow reflected the lights of the Great Tree, making the snowflakes appear to be glowing.

There were guards stationed at the boarder of the clearing and the woods. The Great Tree was in the center of a clearing in the woods. The smaller trees of the woods surrounded The Great Tree in a circle.

Willow lay on her back, now staring at the ceiling. She was still bummed out by the fact that no one could go outside. It wasn’t like the wolves didn’t know where The Great Tree was. In fact, anyone in a fifty mile radius could see the Tree. It was, after all, the biggest tree known to the Woodfolk.

Willow looked out the window. She looked at the black bear guards surrounding the base of the Tree, scanning the area. King Aspen put more and more guards on duty almost every day, especially the black bears. A wolf wouldn’t dare go near a black bear, or any bear for that matter. A wolf wouldn’t win a fight against a bear, let alone dozens of trained black bear guards.

Something caught Willow’s eye. She turned her head towards the window. A bright blue light shone in the trees. It looked like it was far away deep in the woods. The black bear guards seemed to notice this light. But Willow heard one of the guards say something along the lines of: “It isn’t important. We can’t leave our station,”

Willow bit the inside of her cheek. She hadn’t seen a blue light in her life before. What if it was dangerous? Or better yet... what if it could help The Great Tree? What if Willow found this blue light, so it could scare off the wolves from The Great Tree? It was risky, but what was the harm? If she was caught by the guards, they would bring her back to the tree. But if she got caught by the wolves... she would be in trouble, but no one in The Great Tree would get hurt.

Willow smiled with excitement as she grabbed her magenta hat, and blue scarf. She tiptoed down the steps past her siblings rooms, and her parents rooms. Luckily, she was quiet enough that no one woke up.

Willow went down the backhalls. The mainhalls were the halls that everyone took to get to the main places in the tree. The backhalls were barely ever used, except for the guards, and maybe few children who would occasionally play games like hide and seek. The backhalls lead down to the base of the tree. The guards would use the backhalls to go outside with ease.

Willow travelled down the sloped hall. When the hall floor finally went flat, that’s when she knew she was on ground level. She heard voices. She panicked, and quickly hid behind one of the large roots that crawled up the side of the wall.

Two large bucks talked amongst themselves as they traveled down the hallway, not noticing Willow at all. The young doe quietly followed the two, careful not to make any sound. She made sure to match the left buck’s footsteps, so that just in case her hooves made any noise, it would sound like the guard’s steps.

The two bucks reached the end of the hallway. They pushed open the wooden door, and dull moonlight streamed in. Willow smiled. The way out.

Willow followed close behind the two bucks. The slipped past them just as they closed the door behind them. She let out a small sigh of relief. She now was outside. She looked up at the sky, and noticed that it wasn’t snowing anymore.

Willow looked in the direction of the blue light. It was duller now. She didn’t want to go in the clearing of the woods. The guards would surely catch her. She slipped into the woods behind her. She was going to travel through the woods instead.

Willow made sure to get as far away from The Tree as she could without getting lost. She weaved her way through the trees towards the blue light.

Willow smiled as she looked at the trees around her. So many memories of her and her father coming into the woods to play in the snow. Back when she was nameless. Was it really that long ago? She couldn’t imagine being without a name now.

Willow looked towards the direction of the blue light. Her heart dropped.

It was gone.

Willow felt dread creep into her gut. The only light guiding her now, was the faint moonlight of the moon.

A twig snapped.

Her ears perked up as she snapped her head upwards. What was that? She began to fear the worst as her heart rammed against her ribs.

Snow crunching.

Something was coming.

Willow’s heart began to beat in her chest so hard she thought her ribs might break. She didn’t dare ask ‘Who’s there?’ It would only put her in more danger.

A figure in the dark. It was hairy. And it had a fluffy tail, and a long snout.

A scream climbed halfway up Willow’s throat as she recognized the silhouette.

A wolf.

She turned to run, but her head immediately crashed into a thick branch. She fell to the ground, instantly unconscious.

~~~~~~~~

Cold stone pressed against Willow’s cheek. She stirred and groaned. She was in a cave. It was illuminated by... blue light.

The doe lifted her head up. A blue fire was burning on a pile of wood in the middle of the small cave.

As Willow’s eyes landed upon the cave wall in front of her, she saw the shadow of a creature. She saw a figure behind the large blue fire. It was a wolf.

A feeling of panic seized Willow and she let out a shriek of fear, backing away quickly from the elusive stranger.

“Don’t worry, young doe,” The wolf said. “I won’t harm you,”

The wolf stood up and walked towards Willow. The wolf has brown fur, and lighter brown fur surrounding her blue eyes. Her face was gentle, and she smiled down at the doe.

“I am Nika,” The wolf smiled.

The doe swallowed. She felt her cheeks heat up. Nika was beautiful. “I-I’m Willow,”

Nika smiled. She dipped her head down behind her, and pulled out a blanket with her mouth. She draped it over Willow’s shoulder.

“Here. You need it more than I do,”

“Thank you,” Willow smiled. “How did I get here?”

“I tried to approach you in the woods,” Nika explained. “I must have scared you, because you tried to run, and you knocked yourself out. I carried you back here to my cave,”

Willow dipped her head in thanks. “Thank you, by the way. For carrying me back here,”

“You are most welcome, Willow,” A pause. “What were you doing alone in the woods?”

Willow stood up. “I was looking for that, actually,”

Nika looked at the blue fire. “You mean my Gem Fire?”

“Gem Fire?”

Nika smiled. “I use it for spiritual healing,” She smiled sheepishly. “Gem Fire is supposed to be purple, but I’m new at learning magic, so it’s not perfect,”

“It’s beautiful,” Willow said.

Nika smiled. “Thank you,” A pause. “Why were you looking for Gem Fire?”

“I saw it outside my bedroom window,” Willow said. “I thought that it might help us,”

“How so?”

“I’ve never seen anything like it before,” Willow explained. “I wanted to see what it was, and maybe it could help us. Maybe it would scare the wolves away, or something like that,”

Nika’s face suddenly turned grave. “Wolves?”

Willow nodded. “Yeah. I’m from The Great Tree, and King Aspen put the place on lockdown because of wolves getting too close,”

“Why did you leave?” Nika’s voice grew serious. “You could have been caught!”

Willow began to feel nervous. “I-I figured that if I was caught, the only harm done would be me getting hurt. No one else in The Tree would get hurt if that happened,”

Nika shook her head. “You don’t know who I am, do you?”

“What?”

Nika looked sad. “I am the daughter of Agnar,”

Willow’s eyes widened in fear.

“I was cast out of the pack for defying my father,” Nika explained. “I tried to stop him from killing Kind Aspen’s sister. I tried to stop him from attacking The Great Tree. My father is now dead, but my brother, Kubo, now rules in his place,” Nika’s eyebrows furrowed. “And Kubo will stop at nothing to finish my father’s mission,”

Suddenly, the Gem Fire extinguished, leaving the cave dark.

“You never should have left, Willow,” Nika sounded scared. “Snow no longer falls this night,”

Willow’s voice shook. “What does that mean?”

“How did you leave the Tree without the guards spotting you?”

Willow swallowed. “I-I went through the backhalls. It leads to outside. What does that have to do with snow not falling?”

Nika remained silent. A regretful look was on her face.

Willow’s heart began to race when her mind began to connect the dots. No fresh snow... which means her footprints were never covered.

Willow gasped and raced out of the cave. She ran with all her might back home.

The doe sprinted across the forest, the branches and the trees were blurred. Her heart was pounding at a rate she didn't think was possible.

The trees of the forest whizzed passed her as she ran. A feeling of dread ate away at her gut. The more anxious she became, the more speed seeped into her limbs.

‘God, Please no!’

Willow came into the clearing of the forest. She stopped in her tracks. Screams filled her ears. The bright flames burned her eyes as they consumed The Great Tree. Wolves. Wolves everywhere. Kubo was there. That must be him. His stark white fur stood out amongst all of the other wolves. He had a torch in his mouth.

Tears began to spill out of Willow’s eyes as she looked at the horrific scene before her. Snow didn’t fall that night. It didn’t cover her footprints. King Aspen said that the wolves knew exactly where The Great Tree was, they just couldn’t find a way in. And Willow had given it to them. Her footprints had led them to the entrance to the backhalls, granting them access to The Great Tree.

Willow was hit violently from her right side, and suddenly found herself pinned to the ground. She landed hard on her back. Something was holding her down, completely immobilizing her. A huge white wolf pinned her to the ground with his massive paws. Kubo.

Willow began to panic as Kubo bared his teeth. His growl softened. He smiled evilly.

“So you’re the little doe. I recognize your scent,” He chuckled darkly. “I must thank you. I’ve been trying to get into The Great Tree for years. And now thanks to you and your little footprints... I’ve found a way in,”

Willow’s eyes brimmed with tears once again. “No...”

Kubo took his mouth, and bit down on the scruff of Willow’s neck. He pulled her up to her feet.

“Don’t feel sad,” Kubo tucked in a strand of her hair behind her ear with his paw. “You’ve helped me. And for that I’ll spare your life,”

And with that, Kubo howled into the air. The other wolves responded. They followed Kubo as they retreated back into the woods, for their work was done.

Willow was standing as if she were a ghost, a shell of a body with no soul, her shock taken over her so utterly that she couldn't comprehend what was happening around her anymore. The world was a blur of grey, the voices around her muffled. She couldn't believe it, what she had done. This was her fault.

She collapsed to the ground. She wept openly, her tears melting the snow her head lay upon.

A hoof stomped on the ground next to Willow’s head. She looked up to see King Aspen and King Yael. Anger burned in their eyes.

“Stand up,” Aspen demanded. “Face your kings,”

Willow stood up with shaking limbs.

“You defied my orders,” Aspen growled. “And because of that, the wolves have burned down our ancient home!”

A crowd was forming. Willow looked around at the crowd of Wooldfolk watching. Alexia started in disbelief at Willow.

“This is your fault?”

Yohan looked at Willow, his big ears flattened against his head. A large cut was on his forehead, the blood dripping down into his right eye. Ashlyn Morgana was behind him. Her hair was filled with ashes, and her shoulder was burned.

Her mother and father’s eyes were filled with shame. Johanan’s right antler was snapped in half, the top missing. Janae had cuts all over her body.

Willow felt like her head was going to explode. Tears weren’t coming out of her eyes anymore. She gasped over and over again, trying to catch her breath as she sobbed.

“I was just trying to help...” Willow’s voice was small.

Yael started at her in disbelief. “Help?! You could have helped by obeying my husband’s orders!”

Yael jutted his head towards Willow. She yelled in pain as her left ear got caught on his antler, ripping a chunk of skin off of her ear.

Willow layer on the ground, staring at Yael in fear. She had never feared the once gentle king before.

Aspen stepped forward, “For the crimes you have committed against your people, I banish you,”

Yohan gasped as he began to cry. He tried to go to Willow, but Janae stopped him with her hoof.

“I strip you of your name, and your honor,”

The Wooldfolk gasped. Stripping someone of their name is unheard of. Your name is the most important thing you can have. To be nameless, is to be without purpose.

The doe stared up with bloodshot and tears eyes as Aspen continued. “You will now walk this earth nameless. You will walk this earth nameless, never to return to the people of this Tree. If you are seen anywhere near us, you will be shown no mercy,”

Yohan cried. “Please no,”

Aspen turned his head towards Yohan. “This doe has betrayed all of us,”

The doe bowed before Aspen. “Please my King, have mercy,”

“This is my mercy to you,” Aspen said. “A crime like this would result in death. I am giving you this one chance to leave,”

Yohan couldn’t believe it. “Willow...”

Aspen sighed. “She is no longer Willow, little one. She is nameless. She is nothing. She has lost that right,”

The doe turned towards her family. “I’m so sorry,” Her voice broke.

Johanan looked at his daughter sternly, his eyes shining with unshed tears. “Some mistakes can never be forgiven, daughter,”

Her green eyes widened in shock. A crack inside her chest forming as a swell of emotion threatened to engulf her, her whole frame shivering at the force of the her father’s words that made her heart cry out.

She took in a shaking breath, and stood up. She walked past the Wooldfolk, her head hung. The haunting glow of the fire consuming The Tree lit her path.

She kept on walking until she could no longer hear the chatter of the Woodfolk. She walked until she could no longer see the fire’s glow. She walked until she was completely alone in the woods.

She collapsed upon the snow, her body wracking with sobs. She had nothing. Only the blue scarf around her neck. She would be forever doomed to walk alone, nameless.

And with an earth shattering cry, her world was broken.

~~~~~~~~

_Nine._

_Nine Wooldfolk died in the fire._

_Even after all these years, these events still haunt my mind. I haven't seen my family since._

_I’ve lost everything. Even Nika, the love of my life, who found me in the woods once again. She helped me. We were happy. Until the cursed white wolf, her brother, took her away from me._

_I now carry a new name. It wasn’t given to me, like my other name. I chose this new name._

_Willow I am no longer. I have been stripped of my name, and I have given myself a new one. Willow is dead, and Trinis lives on._

_To anyone I have hurt, I truly am sorry. I was young and naive. You shouldn’t have suffered for my mistakes._

_And to my brother, wherever you may be, I hope you’re happy and safe. I hope that you and our sister have grown up strong._

_My story isn’t happy. It is filled with sorrows and woes. But I hope you’ve learned something from my tale, whatever it may be._

_I’m sorry it has to end here._

_My dear reader, whoever you may be, I urge you to make your life story a happier one._

_— Trinis_


End file.
